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Abstract:
Given that offshore tax havens are largely located in small, independent states or self-governing territories, it could be assumed that they have little connection to OECD states and major financial centers such as London and New York. This is not the case. The so-called tax havens are in fact part of a much larger network of financial and corporate services that depends on lawyers, accountants, and bankers located in major Western cities. Only one part of the havens’ business actually involves providing lower tax rates to individual foreign account holders

Abstract:
Russia and Iran are allies in Syria not out of mutual sympathy, but for
pragmatic reasons. According to many reports, Iranian leaders—notably including Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Al-Quds force of the
Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC)—were instrumental in convincing Vladimir Putin to send his air force to Syria and save Bashar al-Assad’s skin in September 2015

Abstract:
As the world enters an era of great-power competition, the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) faces a renewed challenge
from an old adversary. A Europe whole, free, and at peace is
now at risk as Russian aggression challenges the traditional
rules-based world order. Russia’s activities in and against Ukraine and
Georgia, rampant intrusion on Western democratic processes and political discourse, blatant assassination attempts on NATO soil, support
for rogue regimes in Syria and Iran, and military deployments and force
accumulation in Kaliningrad and Crimea, as well as in the Sea of Azov,
demonstrate that the threat is as real and compelling as it ever was.

Abstract:
The global and European security environments have changed drastically in just a few years. The world is entering a new era of great power
competition, which will play out alongside continued political instability
and weakening states in key regions of the world. This has profound
implications for the United States and its friends, allies, and partners including those in Europe. Bilateral US defense and security relationships must be examined and evolved in order to be relevant for a new era. One example of this is the US-Denmark defense and security relationship

Abstract:
As energy markets and technologies rapidly change, international oil companies (IOCs) are facing a set of interconnected challenges that will fundamentally affect their business models. From changes in the supply and demand picture, to shifts in how energy is produced and consumed, to public pressure to decrease greenhouse gas footprints, companies have a wide range of issues to consider as they decide how to prepare for an unpredictable future. In a new issue brief, “Navigating the Energy Transition: International Oil Company Diversification Strategies,” Global Energy Center Senior Fellow David Koranyi provides a macro picture of select IOC’s strategic (re)thinking and explores some of the strategies IOCs have undertaken to diversify their portfolios and prepare for the unfolding energy transition.

Abstract:
The fate of the “Russian Energy Strategy Up to 2035” paper—a key
document defining the country`s strategic priorities in this critically important industry and submitted by Russia’s Energy Ministry every five
years—illustrates well the contradictory predicament of Russia’s energy
sector. In 2015, after two years of preparations, the latest version was
submitted to the government, but national authorities have not approved it until now. Behind the scenes, many conflicting interests prevent the setting of a clear and coherent long-term vision.

Abstract:
For much of its four decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been
blessed with a weak political opposition. While Iran has faced competent and powerful foreign enemies—such as Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, the
United States, and Israel—its Iranian political challengers, both domestically and abroad, have been largely fragmented, unrealistic in their aims, and sometimes as authoritarian as the regime. But, though few credible Iran watchers argue that opposition groups and figures arrayed against Tehran’s establishment pose a serious threat, Iran treats
them as if they are mortal dangers to the regime. This paper attempts
to sketch out the landscape of the various major political opposition
groups, and begin to grapple with the question of why Iran perceives
them as such a challenge

Abstract:
Like every country, Russia has a very specific demographic footprint; its fertility, mortality, and migration rates, as well as its
age composition, all affect its performance domestically and on
the world stage. Russia’s current demographics were shaped by
its history, particularly crises like World War II, and its future will be
deeply affected by conditions like its dropping fertility rate and aging
population

Abstract:
Perhaps the most famous quote from Thucydides is “the strong do what
they can, the weak suffer what they must.”1
For thousands of years, it has been accepted that the weak must comply or face the fate of the Melians. Today, the technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution may be revising that truth. It is creating a wide range of small, smart, cheap weapons that can provide small states combat power previously reserved to major powers

Abstract:
This brief emerged from discussions during an Atlantic Council Global
Energy Center roundtable on European energy security held in Brussels
on March 27, 2019, as well as other events and individual meetings with
government officials, private sector executives, and leading academics
in the global energy sector. The collective dialogues and key takeaways
are reflected in this brief. Because the conversations took place under the
Chatham House Rule, the information will not be attributed to any specific individual. The brief will provide a current assessment of EU energy security focusing on the role of gas markets, while future briefs in the European Energy Security series will take a closer look at other critical issues impacting European energy security. Following these briefs, a final report in 2020 will propose specific recommendations for the US and EU governments on how to address transatlantic energy security issues.